The Shoreline Management Act (SMA) requires all counties and most towns and cities with shorelines to develop and implement Shoreline Master Programs. The law also defines the Department of Ecology’s role in reviewing and approving local programs. The SMA was passed by the Washington Legislature in 1971 and adopted by voters in 1972. Its overarching goal is "to prevent the inherent harm in an uncoordinated and piecemeal development of the state’s shorelines." Within North Bend the Shoreline includes: shorelines include: streams and rivers with greater than 20 cubic feet per second mean annual flow, upland areas called shorelands that extend 200 feet landward from the edge of these waters, biological wetlands connected to these water bodies and Shorelines of statewide significance which are rivers flowing 1,000 cubic feet per second or more and associated wetlands.
The City of North Bend performed a periodic review of the Shoreline Master Program which was accepted by Ecology and in effect December 25, 2019. Council approved these amendments to Chapter 14.20 of the Municipal Code via Ordinance 1701. During the next online code cycle update these will be added to Chapter 14.20 but for now reference to the most current regulations should use Ordinance 1701. Contact Senior Planner Jamie Burrell at P.O. Box 896, North Bend WA 98045 or via email at jburrell@northbendwa.gov or phone (425) 888-7642 for more information.
Ordinance No. 1701 Shoreline
Ordinance No. 1701 - Exhibit A
Shoreline Jurisdiction & Environment Designation Map